VN tries to harness the change brought about by Industry 4.0. Industrial revolutions are momentous events. By most reckonings, there have been only three. The first was triggered in the 1700s by the commercial steam engine and the mechanical loom. The harnessing of electricity and mass production sparked the second, around the start of the 20th century. The computer set the third in motion after World War II. It may seem too soon to proclaim that the fourth industrial revolution, spurred by interconnected digital technology, is upon us, but Mr. Henning Kagermann, Head of the German National Academy of Science and Engineering, did exactly that in 2011, when he used the term Industry 4.0 to describe a proposed government-sponsored industrial initiative. After missing the first three, Vietnam is now hoping to tap into the fourth revolution, though this requires action and not just words. Boundless prospects It’s not by chance that Industry 4.0 is mentioned often in State documents and speeches by government officials. The topic even plays an important role as one of the six key tasks for the Ministry of Industry and Trade this year. Industry 4.0 is happening and Vietnam will miss the boat if it doesn’t make an appropriate response. The term Industry 4.0 refers to the combination of several major innovations in digital technology, all coming to maturity right now and all poised to transform the energy and manufacturing sectors. These technologies include advanced robotics and artificial intelligence, sophisticated sensors, cloud computing, the Internet of Things, data capture and analytics, digital fabrication, including 3D printing, software-as-a-service and other new marketing models, smartphones and other mobile devices, platforms that use algorithms to direct motor vehicles, including navigation tools, ride-sharing apps, delivery and ride services, and autonomous vehicles, and the embedding of all these elements in an interoperable global value chain, shared by many companies from many countries. These technologies are often thought of separately. But when they are joined together, they integrate the physical and virtual worlds. This change enables a powerful new way of organizing global operations: bringing the fungibility and speed of software to large-scale machinery production. Under the Industry 4.0 model, product design and development take place in simulated laboratories and utilize digital fabrication models. The products themselves take tangible form only after most of the design and engineering problems have been ironed out. The networks of machinery that have engendered industrial society become hyper-aware systems of highly flexible technology, responding rapidly not just to human commands but to their own perceptions and self-direction. There are many reasons for Vietnam to take up Industry 4.0. Emerging countries like Vietnam will actually have the most to gain. It can leverage digitization to gain efficiency in its horizontal integration, working with the global manufacturers to whom it supplies all manner of raw materials, parts, and components. The more closely Vietnamese companies align with the platforms of Industry 4.0, the more potential customers it will be able to reach. Vietnam has become a manufacturing hub for transnational companies in recent years. Enterprises from advanced economies have come to the country to cut labor costs, but this is now irrelevant. Adidas’s new shoe robotics can make a pair of shoes in 1.8 minutes from scratch. Such technology will soon be in shoe stores, making bespoke shoes for customers. Companies don’t develop robotics because they are cool, but to get away from relying on Vietnamese labor. Foreign direct investment (FDI), while still coming in large volumes, will end or dwindle to nothing at a certain point. The government understands this, and is telling Vietnamese companies to stand on their own two feet and move with alacrity because they know that FDI capital isn’t forever. Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc warned last year about the return of protectionism, with many governments considering making international trade more difficult and making it harder for people and products to move across borders. Industry 4.0 can overcome such barriers by enabling companies to transfer their intellectual property, including their software, while allowing each country to maintain its own manufacturing networks. Future advances in 3D printing, for example, will enable virtually any company to set up shop anywhere, and to fabricate components, spare parts, and potentially industrial equipment without having to ship the finished pieces. Operations will become more global and more local at the same time. Rocky road There are, of course, many challenges associated with Industry 4.0. It requires openness with data and collaboration, to an extent that may feel uncomfortable for many Vietnamese companies. The requisite technological capabilities and human skills are often in short supply. It involves new and unfamiliar ways of organizing production. And, perhaps most daunting, it represents a leap of faith. Investments must be made today, while many of the products and processes involved in the approach are still unknown. Look at Singapore, the leading country in ASEAN in terms of technology application. Most companies there are still 2.5 or not even 3.0, according to Mr. Wu Hongyi, Centre Director for Europe at IE Singapore, and even with advanced technology and capital advantages they will still struggle to enter Industry 4.0. Even with short-cuts, it will not be easy for Vietnam to just move up the ladder. When you give a man an elevator, he needs to be taught how to walk to step inside it. The FDI sector is still the “wheelchair” for Vietnam, driving growth in an economy forecast to grow more than 6 per cent this year; one of the fastest rates in Asia. Vietnam has set for itself the goal of becoming the major processing and manufacturing hub in the world by 2035. If achieved, it will create a lot of jobs. But the question is whether the desired objectives and benefits will be reached given that Industry 4.0 is poised to transform competitiveness over the next five years or so. The strong progression of Industry 4.0 shows that the appeal of cheap labor, Vietnam’s strategic strength, can be lost more quickly than previously imagined, especially in critical labor-intensive industries like textiles, footwear, and mechanical engineering. So what will become of Vietnamese garment workers toiling away for 10 or 12 hours a day and earning $200-300 per month? This not only directly affects workers and companies in the manufacturing sector but may also put many important development strategies of Vietnam at risk of slipping by the wayside. A report from the International Labor Organization released last July revealed that up to 86 per cent of workers in the apparel and footwear sectors are at risk of losing their jobs due to impact of technology breakthroughs brought about by Industry 4.0. Even in developed countries, automation has made many workers redundant. Recent research shows that nearly 50 per cent of unskilled workers will lose their jobs over the next 10-20 years in the US and the UK. Unresolved issues abound. For example, will Vietnam change its customs activities and tax structures to account for a world in which physical goods of all kinds rapidly decrease in value compared with the intangibles - intellectual capital and ongoing support, for example - that distinguish them? Will a digital fabrication plant be considered a full-scale manufacturing location? Will this type of manufacturing create jobs? Or supplant them with technology? As the intellectual property value of software and services increases, will new cybersecurity challenges arise? Or will cradle-to-grave tracking of products make it easier to enforce global rules on IP and to trace violations? The centuries-long process of globalization has always presented new challenges and new risks. Now, as Vietnam stands on the brink of an entirely new technological way of life, the challenges and risks may come in unfamiliar new forms. To catch up with something, one must reach a turning point. In Vietnam’s case, only the government’s hand can facilitate the mutations needed for the country to embrace the fourth industrial revolution. “While Vietnam can catch up with consumption and spending, innovation and manufacturing need support from authorities,” Chairman of the Vietnam Internet Association, Mr. Vu Hoang Lien, said. “We will need to make necessary forecasts in order to build an economic development policy.” First mover Having said that, both developed and emerging countries have the opportunity to approach Industry 4.0 from its very beginning. This means that Vietnam can actually seize the lead by having research and applications or by attracting new technology, which will help bridge the development gap. We Are Social, a global agency providing statistics on digitalization worldwide, estimates that Vietnam had a total of 50.05 million internet users in 2016, equal to 53 per cent of its population and a rise of 6 per cent compared with 2015. The number of people using social media and mobile social networks also grew 31 per cent and 41 per cent year-on-year, respectively. These figures, according to Mr. Isara Burintramart, CEO of Thailand’s Reed Tradex, ASEAN’s leading exhibition organizer, indicate that Vietnam’s workforce is ready to learn and step into the Industry 4.0 era. Even though there have only been a few Vietnamese enterprises that are first movers and evaluating the benefits Industry 4.0 can bring is virtually impossible, companies that hold back, waiting to see how it all turns out before investing, will fall behind. As World Economic Forum founder Klaus Schwab put it in his book “The Fourth Industrial Revolution”, “Contrary to previous industrial revolutions, this one is evolving at an exponential rather than linear pace. It is not only changing the ‘what’ and the ‘how’ of doing things, but also ‘who’ we are.” Mr. Truong Gia Binh, co-founder and CEO of the FPT Group, also believes this revolution isn’t just an exclusive thing for tycoons, but for everyone, including smaller enterprises with only a handful of people. In fact, “they are the ones who will change the future and dictate the face of Vietnam’s economy,” he believes. Some Vietnamese enterprises have indeed established themselves as first movers in Industry 4.0. The Truong Hai Auto Corp., the country’s leading automaker, has expanded its investments in laser welding technology and paint technology, expecting annual capacity to reach 100,000 motor cars, 100,000 trucks, and 5,000 buses via the construction of the Chu Lai - Truong Hai Automobile Mechanical Industrial Zone, which will begin operations next year. Vertical software has already been introduced in Vietnam through a number of key customers such as Samsung, Canon, and Nike, and is found at Cho Ray Hospital. Syngo.via is helping the radiology department of Cho Ray optimize clinical workflows in imaging diagnostics, resulting in much higher patient throughput and improved quality with the same resources. This is of utmost importance to Vietnam, with its limited number of trained medical personnel and constrained budgets, and permits the optimal use of available skilled resources. As other Asian countries have been looking at Industry 4.0 for quite some time, there are steps to be taken immediately for Vietnam to stay in the race. Changes must be based on progressive evolution, commencing with small pilot projects implemented step-by-step in reasonable doses that can be implemented without harming conventional plant operations. Education and training systems must also be reformed. “Investing in human resources should be considered the most important task for local manufacturers, in addition to fostering technical innovation and enhancing cooperation among businesses to maximize efficiency and avoid overlapping investments,” Chairman of the Vietnam Association of Mechanical Industry Mr. Nguyen Van Thu said. Don’t buy the hype. Buy the reality. Industry 4.0 will be a huge boon to companies and countries that fully understand what it means for them. Change of this nature will transcend a company’s boundaries and probably the national boundaries of the countries where they do business. VN Economic Times |
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Gold, dollar price stable, preventing speculators from making money The gold and dollar markets worth tens of billions of dollars have remained stable despite fluctuations in the world market.  Contrary to all predictions, the dong/dollar exchange has been stable since the beginning of the year. Vietcombank on May 11 quoted the buy and sell prices at VND22,685 per dollar and VND22,755, respectively, a decrease of 0.15 percent compared with the beginning of the year. The dollar price dropped more sharply, by 1.5 percent, in the free market, now hovering around VND22,760 per dollar (buy) and VND22,780 (sell). No big fluctuations in the market have been reported in the last four months.
The stability and dollar price downward trend have rarely been seen in the Vietnam forex market. Earlier this year, experts all predicted that the Vietnam dong would be under pressure to depreciate this year. The dollar was expected to appreciate because of the US FED’s plan to raise the prime interest rate. The State Bank of Vietnam (SBV) has continuously adjusted the dong/dollar exchange rate recently. The official exchange rate announced by SBV on May 11 was VND22,377 per dollar, or one percent higher than earlier this year. The dollar price for reference at SBV’s Exchange is also high, at VND23,028 per dollar, or just VND20 per dollar lower than the ceiling price level. With the wide gap between the real dollar market price and the ceiling price level at VND290 per dollar, SBV doesn’t have to sell dollars to intervene in the market and it can buy dollars to increase the reserves. Like the forex market, the gold market also has remained calm. The gold price has decreased and there has been no ‘price fever attack’ so far this year. There has been no wave of collecting gold in large quantity. It is estimated that 500 tons of gold, worth $20 billion, is being kept by people. Analysts commented that the stability of the dong/dollar exchange rate and the gold market is good news for the domestic finance market, as it helps enterprises plan their business, while there is no need to worry about the depreciation of the currency and interest rate increase. Le Quang Tri, a senior executive of Tri Viet Securities, commented that the SBV’s move of adjusting the official exchange rate is a reasonable exchange rate policy which regulates the market towards the goals it set: curbing inflation at 4 percent this year in the context of the anticipated dollar price increase as the US FED plans to raise the prime interest rate 2-3 more times this year. M. Ha, VNN |
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Unregistered boats rampant on Ha Long Bay Fishing boats are turning themselves into unregistered tourist craft, willing to take holidaymakers around the famed Ha Long Bay in northern Vietnam despite failing to meet any of the safety or basic operational standards.
 An aerial photo of Ha Long Bay, off northern Vietnam. Tuoi Tre Willing tourists do not have to buy a ticket to board these boats, all they need to do is negotiate a price with the boat owners, then step onto the vessels that have no life jackets, and captains who have no boat operating licenses, Thanh Nien (Young People) newspaper reports. The boats operate out of the Bach Dang fishing port in Ha Long City, off Quang Ninh Province. Duy, who owns and operates a wooden boat, said a full-day tour around Ha Long costs VND3 million (US$134) and he was taking tourists anywhere they want. For shorter journeys, the price is VND500,000 ($22.3) per hour. Local fishermen are also willing to take tourists around the bay on their paddling boats for VND200,000 ($8.9) an hour. A Thanh Nien correspondent chose the hourly rate and was asked to step onto an old, deteriorating boat bearing no registration number. Upon filling the 30-seater vessel with fellow tourists, Duy started the engine and steered the boat away from the port, leaving the smell of black smoke and oil behind. Asked why there were no life vests, Duy reassured that the boat would never sink. “Even when it does, I will jump down and rescue you,” he said. The ‘captain’ also made no secret of the fact that he had no boat operating license. “This ship is home-run, no need for a license,” he said. “My dad taught me to operate it; no need for classes.” The boat then spent more than an hour negotiating rough seas around several areas of Ha Long, with passengers breathing sighs of relief whenever they arrived to shore safely. There were many other unregistered boats operating on the bay at the same time, some carrying foreign tourists, none of whom were wearing life jackets, according to Thanh Nien. In addition to the wooden boats, several speedboats with a capacity of up to ten passengers were offering sightseeing tours around Ha Long for about VND15 million ($670). The Ha Long administration confirmed that these tourist boats have become rampant in fishing ports such as Bach Dang, Hong Ha, Ha Tu and Ha Phong over the last two years. Last year the city’s police recorded 600 sea transportation offenses, including 20 cases of fishing vessels operating as tourist boats. Four unregistered boats have been fined in May this year alone, while local authorities are intensifying checks to curb their operations, according to the Ha Long Bay management board. However, Thanh Nien reported that the boats were still operating publicly when the newspaper's reporters visited the Cot 5 port and Bach Dang fishing deck as recently as Sunday. TUOI TRE NEWS |
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Vietnam’s convenience store market not easy to exploit While 7-Eleven expands its business in the Vietnamese retail market, Family Mart has decided to stop injecting more money into the chain in Vietnam because of losses.  A survey by Kantar Worldpanel found that one-third of Vietnamese households now buy goods at small supermarkets and convenience stores. The retail model is favored thanks to a lot of advantages. Convenience stores provide essential goods for people’s daily use, while the products have clear origin. Besides, the stores are located in residential quarters, thus making it easy for people to seek to buy things they need. Most of the stores open for 16-24 hours a day. A report of Nielsen shows that convenience stores have boomed in the last three years. The growth rate of convenience stores and mini supermarkets in Vietnam is up to 200 percent. There were only 1,000 stores in 2012, while the figure had reached 2,000 by the end of 2015.
Meanwhile, IGD, a market survey firm, has predicted that convenience store chains in Vietnam would see 2-digit growth rates in the next four years before reaching 37.4 percent by 2021. FamilyMart, B’s mart, Circle K and Vinmart+ are the best known names in the Vietnamese market. However, the market is expected to become even more crowded with the arrival of the giant from Japan – 7-Eleven, belonging to the Seven & I Holdings Group. Nikkei reported that 7-Eleven signed a franchise contract with Vietnam’s Seven System in mid-2015. The company plans to open 100 shops in Vietnam within three years and 1,000 shops within 10 years. The first store is expected to open in February 2018. The optimistic predictions about the Vietnamese market, plus 7-Eleven’s strong determination to expand its network in Vietnam, all seem to make people think that Vietnam is a lucrative soil to cultivate. However, while 7-Eleven is injecting big money into Vietnam, Family Mart has decided to stop pouring money into the market. Reuters reported that while Family Mart is making a profit in Taiwan and China, it is taking losses in Thailand, Vietnam and Indonesia. This has led to the chain’s decision to stop injecting more money into Family Marts in Vietnam. FamilyMart is a big convenience store chain in its home country of Japan. By February 2015, the chain had stores in eight countries and territories, mostly in Asia, with 16,970 stores. In 2009, FamilyMart entered the Vietnamese market with the first store opening in December. Kim Chi, VNN |
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FDI’s link to Vietnam's growth disparity In Vietnam, the localities attracting greater foreign direct investment have generally reached higher development levels than their counterparts, a situation which has led to uneven development among regions. If countermeasures are not introduced now, the development gap could grow, which will have repercussions on national development overall. Senior economist Nguyen Mai delves into the problem. Various factors, including geographical and legislative differences, have contributed to developmental inequalities A developmental discrepancy  Binh Duong and Binh Phuoc are two southern provinces which were formed after the splitting of Song Be province two decades ago. Binh Duong has been one of the most successful localities nationwide in attracting foreign direct investment (FDI), resulting in robust socio-economic development. Meanwhile, Binh Phuoc’s development has mainly been leveraged on domestic investment sources. In 1997, Binh Duong was home to only six industrial parks (IPs), covering 800 hectares. It now hosts 29 IPs and eight industrial clusters, spanning over 10,000ha. Binh Duong’s Vietnam-Singapore Industrial Park is now regarded as one of the most successful IPs for the entire country. Along with modernising industrial production, Binh Duong has focused on urban development and skilled human resources training to improve the local investment climate. By then end of 2016, the province attracted $25 billion in committed FDI and nearly VND200 trillion ($9.09 billion) in domestic investment. Binh Duong has continually been listed among the top performers in luring FDI, reporting an annual average economic growth rate surpassing 14.5 per cent. The production value of its diverse economic sectors has increased quickly, parallel to a positive transformation of the local economic structure. Binh Duong is deploying a smart city model, coupled with modern architectural planning, to satisfy local residents and visitors’ ever-growing expectations. Binh Phuoc’s progress has lagged behind its sister province. Mostly because it doesn’t enjoy the favourable geographic conditions of Binh Duong, so it is less enticing for foreign investors. As of 2016, the province garnered only $1.25 billion in total committed FDI. From 2010 through to the present, Binh Phuoc has applied a raft of measures to better the investment environment, which resulted in an average economic growth rate of 10.8 per cent during the 2011-2015 period. Its per-capita gross regional domestic product (GRDP) rose from VND24 million ($1,090) to VND42.8 million ($1,945) during the same period. Binh Phuoc’s GRDP was about 6 per cent of Binh Duong’s, and its budget contribution was 8 per cent of Binh Duong’s. Binh Duong is considered to be among the top localities in terms of contributions to the central budget, while Binh Phuoc still receives state subsidies. A similar situation is observed in Phu Tho and Vinh Phuc, two provinces which were formed from the splitting of Vinh Phu province two decades ago. Since its re-establishment, Vinh Phuc has effectively made use of its advantages – most importantly, its proximity to Hanoi and to Noi Bai International Airport – to attract FDI into large-scale projects. From 1997 to 2016, the province posted an average annual growth rate of 15.3 per cent. In 2016, its GRDP stood at VND77.2 trillion ($3.5 billion). Its industrial production value rose tremendously from VND1.65 trillion ($75 million) in 1997 to VND125.2 trillion ($5.7 billion) in 2016. Meanwhile, Phu Tho managed an average annual growth rate of 8.69 per cent. In 2016, the province contributed VND4.4 trillion to state coffers, 14 times as much as in 1997. Per capita average incomes rose 14.5 times against 1997 to VND33.2 million ($1,510) in 2016. The development level of Phu Tho, however, pales in comparison to Vinh Phuc. Vinh Phuc’s per capita GRDP was 2.17 times higher, and its budget contribution was 6.47 times greater than Phu Tho’s. Uneven contributions In the 2016 state budget estimate, only 13 out of the 63 eligible cities and provinces made contributions to the central budget. The contributors were Hanoi, Haiphong, Quang Ninh, Vinh Phuc, Bac Ninh, Danang, Quang Ngai, Khanh Hoa, Ho Chi Minh City, Dong Nai, Binh Duong, Ba Ria-Vung Tau, and Can Tho. These localities take the lead nationwide in attracting FDI. Localities such as Thai Nguyen, Thanh Hoa, Quang Nam, and Ha Tinh might join these ranks soon by virtue of large-scale FDI projects being underway. Of the total 2016 state budget revenue of more than VND998 trillion ($45.4 billion), 14 northern highland localities contributed 3.6 per cent; 13 cities and provinces and in the Mekong Delta provided over 4.5 per cent; 14 localities in the north-central and central coastal regions nearly 11 per cent; and five provinces in the Central Highlands provided nearly 1.4 per cent. The figures are evidence of the uneven development across the country’s different regions. The places luring vast volumes of FDI and domestic investment capital have grown vigorously, boasting modern industries and accelerated urbanisation. Meanwhile, other localities remain less developed, mainly capitalising on agricultural production and the exploitation of natural resources. To address this uneven development, there needs to be an adequate approach in tax collection from localities, as well as a contribution to the central budget of cities and provinces. In the national development strategy, gradually raising the number of localities making contributions to state coffers must be taken as an important target of each locality and the whole country. Ensuring even development among the regions Investment and development has a causal effect: for underdeveloped regions to achieve more robust growth, they must attract more investment capital into major investment projects. FDI comes from private sources, and despite the presence of high investment incentives, it is not easy to encourage foreign investors to carry out projects in areas with unfavourable development prospects. These underprivileged areas must first focus on attracting domestic investment, when they reach a higher development level with better social and technical infrastructure, they will then be able to lure greater FDI. The growth strategy of less-developed localities must leverage the synergy of the four following factors: First, these localities must realise their distinct advantages and potential, and present specific investment incentive regimes within a cohesive regulatory system to attract major investment groups to implement projects in their areas. They should work on building transport infrastructure, power, water, communications networks, industrial zones, resorts, and urban areas. These projects will help improve their image and attract FDI. Second, it is important to increase co-operation among the cities and provinces in each region, to make use of their distinct advantages bolstering development. Third, major state groups and organisations in the fields of power, telecommunications, transport, education, training, and healthcare must proportionally distribute public investment capital. They should also encourage diverse investment sources to build important technical and social infrastructure in these underdeveloped localities. Regions with higher levels of development such as Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City need to expand co-operation with less-developed localities to help advance their growth. Fourth, the government should consider narrowing the gap in development among regions as an important target for sustainable development, setting targets and reviewing implementation results for each stage. Following this, distributing public funds and offering incentives for projects in these underprivileged areas will be important to these less developed regions’ growth. VIR |
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Vietnamese businesses begin to feel impact of WannaCry ransomware Around 800 personal computers and web servers in Vietnam had fallen victim to WannaCry ransomware as of Tuesday afternoon, local cyber security firm CMC Infosec said the same day.  A cartoon illustrating ransomware attacks on computer data.Tuoi Tre According to CMC Infosec, most infected devices are located in Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City and Da Nang, as well as in their neighboring provinces. In Ho Chi Minh City, ransomware had attacked around 200 devices, mostly web servers, the company said. “Victims of WannaCry in Vietnam are mostly small and medium enterprises (SMEs) with underdeveloped security alert systems that use pirated versions of Microsoft Windows operating systems,” a CMC Infosec representative said. “Domain providers, data systems and companies with frequent data sharing and storage activities are among the prime targets.” WannaCry is a ransomware computer virus that targets the Microsoft Windows operating system. A global attack was launched last Friday, targeting a huge number of computer systems around the world by encrypting data stored on computers to demand money. Earlier reports by Bkav, a leading Vietnamese cyber security firm, suggested that up to 52 percent of computers in Vietnam were susceptible to the EternalBlue vulnerability found in Windows operating systems. According to Athena Cyber Security Training Center, a number of Vietnamese firms based in Binh Duong, Dong Nai and Ho Chi Minh City have suffered severe damage through ransomware attacks. “Accounting data, payables and customers information are encrypted in order to demand ransom money worth dozens of bitcoins, which are the equivalent of tens of thousands of US dollars,” said Vo Do Thang, director of the Athena Cyber Security Training Center. “Reports of WannaCry ransomware attacks began coming in on Monday morning,” Nguyen Minh Duc, director of Cyradar smart cyber security system, told Tuoi Tre (Youth) newspaper on Tuesday. Duc said the most serious attack to his knowledge had been on two data servers of a business which housed over 1,000 devices. “Their entire database on these servers had been encrypted,” Duc said. “Even backup files were lost, since they are also stored on the servers. The company has been forced to halt their operations due to the attack.” A real estate dealer based in Ho Chi Minh City said it had also fallen victim to the WannaCry ransomware and is threatening to sabotage their entire operation. “We are trying to save whatever data we can,” said Q., an employee at the company. “Our operations are in grave danger if the data cannot be saved. It’s no joke!” Another trading firm in Ho Chi Minh City has also been asked to pay VND400 million (US$17,000) to recover data encrypted by the ransomware. “It’s a type of ransomware, but it’s not WannaCry,” said C., the company’s CEO.  A ransom email sent to a company in Vietnam whose data have been encrypted by a ransomware. Photo: Tuoi Tre Through a cyber firm in Ho Chi Minh City, C. was able to make contact with a group of hackers from India who claimed they could decrypt the data for 12 bitcoins, or around $17,000. However, C. said the hackers suddenly terminated all contact before they could receive the sum, so the company’s data remains encrypted. The administration of Ho Chi Minh City has called for all units to take measures to mitigate the damage done by WannaCry ransomware attacks. According to Ho Chi Minh City’s Department of Information and Communications, no administrative body in the city had been attacked by ransomware as of Tuesday afternoon. TUOI TRE NEWS |
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State-owned hospitals still ignore local medicines Half of all medicine used in Viet Nam is locally manufactured, however, it has been largely unused in central hospitals, PhD Truong Quôoc Cuong, Deputy Minister of Health has said.
To increase the rate of local medicine use, doctors could even be required to commit to prescribing domestic products, according to Cuong. Speaking at a conference reviewing the campaign ‘Vietnamese People Use Viet Nam’s medicines’ held last Friday, Cuong said the use of domestically-produced medicine increased during the four years of the campaign. Of all medicine used at provincial-level hospitals, 35.4 per cent of it was locally manufactured, an increase of 1.5 per cent compared to before launching the campaign. At district-level hospitals, the rate was nearly 70 per cent, 8 per cent moiré than previously. As many as 520 out of 923 active ingredients licensed for use in medicine can be made in Viet Nam, and awareness of domestic drugs has improved, reducing hospital fees for patients and growing the pharmaceutical industry. Pharmaceutical factories have invested in modern machinery and high-quality human resources to produce antibiotic and vaccine materials, bio-products and high-tech dosage forms. The quality of medicine has improved at cheaper prices than imported medicine. Currently, there are 163 pharmaceutical factories at Pharmaceutical Inspection Co-operation Scheme – good manufacturing practices standards, with modern production-lines to produce medicines to international standard. However, Cuong said, most domestic medicine was made from simple active ingredients to treat simple diseases. As a result, it is unpopular at central hospitals that treat seriously ill patients. The rate of use of domestic medicine at central hospitals has in fact decreased during the project, from 11.6 per cent in 2013, to 11.3 per cent in 2014 and 10.02 per cent in 2015. The percentage was even lower in key hospitals such as 3.1 per cent at the Central Maternity Hospital, 3.3 per cent at Cancer Hospital, 3.9 per cent at Bach Mai Hospital and 5.8 per cent at Viet Nam-Germany Hospital. Cuong said the low usage rate at these hospitals was down to two factors: doctor’s prescriptions and patients preferring imported drugs. In addition, he said, leaders of central hospitals told him that they wanted to prescribe Vietnamese-produced medicine, but most patients were seriously ill with deadly diseases, requiring medicines the Vietnamese pharmaceutical industry can’t produce. Dr Tran Viet Tiep, director of Viet Nam-Sweden Uong Bi Hospital said that to reach the goal of 45 per cent of drugs used in his hospital being locally manufactured, leaders of the hospital must convince patients and their families of the drugs’ quality by building treatment protocols, participating in consultations and inspecting doctor’s prescriptions. Most antibiotics, painkillers and intravenous medicines prescribed at the hospital were locally-made, he said. Tran Tuc Ma, general manager of Traphaco JSC said that most of his firm’s products were sold at drug stores as the company found it hard to sell them at central hospitals. The reason, he said, was that products were classified by their biological ingredients, not in terms of quality. Meanwhile, enterprises had to invest in their products to make them better, leading to higher costs compared to other products. To hit targets in the second phase of the campaign, Cuong said apart from getting Vietnamese consumers’ to use domestic products, businesses must make more efforts to advertise their medicine at affordable prices, improving product design, and proving its quality to gain the trust of doctors and patients. The ministry will continue encouraging doctors to prioritise bidding for and prescribing locally-made drugs. The campaign ‘Vietnamese People Use Viet Nam’s medicines’ was launched by the ministry and took place between 2012 and 2015. In the second phase of 2016-2020, the campaign targets that 30 per cent of drugs prescribed at central hospitals are domestic products, with the targeted rates at provincial and district hospitals 50 and 75 per cent respectively. VNS |
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Mekong Delta faces increased risk of landslides as sediment loss continues Every year, 55 million tons of sediment is lost from the rivers in Mekong Delta, 90 percent of which is sand.  Nguyen Huu Thien, an independent expert, said the Mekong Delta has been taking shape for the last 6,000 years thanks to alluvial accretion. But the volume of sediment in the river and canal system has decreased gradually, leading to an increased risk of landslides. The coastal provinces in the western part of the southern region are also directly affected by the change. The alluvium from river mouths to the sea has the function of protecting the coast, easing the impact from waves hitting the coast. When there is not enough silt, the sea water will cause erosion. Therefore, according to Thien, it is necessary to re-establish control over land exploitation to prevent the loss of natural resources.
Research also points out the high risks that the Mekong River Delta is facing. A survey by the Mekong River Commission (MRC) found that in 1992-2014, the amount of suspended sediment in Mekong River valley decreased from 160 million tons to 75 million tons per annum. According to Marc Goichot, an energy and hydropower expert from WWF, the sediment depletion has relations with sand mining and construction of dams upstream of the Mekong river. The three upstream water reservoirs in China can retain 32-41 million tons of sediment a year. If all the terraces of eight hydropower dams in the upstream are built, more than 50 percent of sediment load in the Mekong basin, or 140 million tons, will be blocked every year. Meanwhile, the existing dams in the upstream now retain 35-45 million tons of sediment a year. Once all the dams are built, the figure will be 100 million tons in total. According to ICEM (International Centre for Environmental Management), every year, the total volume of sludge and sand deposited on the Mekong River section from Kratie Station in Cambodia to Vietnam’s Mekong Delta and to the sea is 12-18 million cubic meters. Meanwhile, the sand exploitation on Cuu Long River in Vietnam has deprived 28 million cubic meters of sediment the river, too much compared with the volume of 12-18 million tons. Duong Van Ni from the Environment and Natural Resources Faculty of the Can Tho University, also expressed concern about the sand overexploitation. “The sand in Mekong Delta needs hundreds of years of depositing to create the base of the riverbed, isles and fresh water containing layers. But the volume of sand drifting to the delta has been decreasing sharply in the last few years,” he warned. Thien Nhien, VNN |
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NA lawmakers review works on voter input, petitions
HÀ NỘI - Top lawmakers urged for fuller engagement with voters’ opinions yesterday, in response to a report on voters’ proposals to the 14th National Assembly’s second session as well as the upcoming third session. According to the report, presented at the second day of the 10th meeting of the National Assembly (NA) Standing Committee yesterday, more than 3,300 petitions from the people have been transferred to relevant agencies and organisations as the result of 2,073 meetings between NA deputies and voters nationwide before and after the second session of the 14th NA meeting in November last year. Voters’ petitions addressed all aspects of social and economic life - from specific issues that directly affected their daily lives to issues related to guidelines and policies of the Party and the State. The report showed some legislative shortcomings, including the constantly-adjusted 2017 law building framework and the lack of legal document consistency. All 3,119 petitions submitted to the Government, ministries and sectors were responded to. Ninety-four legal documents were enacted immediately between the second and third session of the 14th NA to promptly resolve issues about which voters in many localities were concerned. Along with resolving and responding to voters’ second session petitions, the ministries and sectors also reviewed and resolved 69 out of 142 outstanding petitions from previous sessions, mainly in the form of amending, supplementing or promulgating of some documents. Chairman of the NA Committee for Ethnic Affairs, Hà Ngọc Chiến, stressed on the need to strengthen voter meeting organisation. He proposed a report to clarify whether authority responses had come to the voters in time and in a satisfactory manner. NA Chairwoman Nguyễn Thị Kim Ngân suggested the NA’s People’s Aspiration Committee analyse and further clarify the report’s details on solving the outstanding petitions of voters. She proposed to clarify the 133 remaining petitions. Meanwhile, another draft report at the meeting showed that there had been more than 2,900 citizen comments and suggestions sent to the third session of the 14th NA, which is scheduled from May 22 to June 20. The opinions and recommendations focus on six specific contexts: production and business; resource management and environmental protection; health and food safety; education, training and vocational training; fighting corruption and waste; security and social security. Võ Trọng Việt, Chairman of the NA’s National Defence and Security Committee, proposed adding a number of constituencies around the issue of exploitation in the form of destruction of marine resources, how to ensure the aquatic and marine environment, and the problem of smuggling gasoline and cigarettes. The NA Standing Committee will discuss the preparation of the upcoming third session of the 14th NA and a draft resolution on solving credit organisations’ bad debts. - VNS |
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Cross-border credit information exchange important for investment cooperation
NINH BÌNH – Cross-border credit information exchange plays an important and necessary role in promoting the quality and efficiency of investment and business activities for 21 member economies in the Asia Pacific region. This was stated by experts at a seminar on Tuesday on this issue. Addressing the APEC seminar on cross border credit information exchange in Ninh Bình, deputy governor of the State Bank of Việt Nam Nguyễn Thị Hồng said extensive globalisation required APEC members to connect their credit information networks to ensure equality and transparency in investment co-operation and diminish information discrepancy risk. “Cross-border exchange of credit information will open up great opportunities for credit institutions in expanding co-operation, sharing experiences and obtaining reliable information to facilitate investment and business activities, as well as credit access for people in each country,” Hồng said. This issue has been on the agenda of many international financial conferences and attracted special attention from the APEC region. Its implementation, however, is held back by the differing legal principles in the member countries, especially in regulations concerning credit information, cross-border information exchange and customer privacy protection. Hồng said in recent years, Việt Nam has actively participated in regional and international conferences on this topic and expressed its desire to enhance co-operation and exchange of credit information. “This has reflected the country’s determination to undertake its commitments to open up and integrate deeper with the world’s economy,” the central bank’s official said. Policymakers in 21 APEC member countries, ASEAN and ASEAN+3 have discussed the need of exchanging credit information, creating key elements for establishing a successful mechanism of cross-border credit information exchange, including legal framework and database, and outlining a draft on the memorandum of understanding on data dictionary. These are important content for a developing country such as Việt Nam on its path to build a legal framework and standards on credit information activity, including cross-border sharing of credit information and regulations on customer privacy protection. The seminar took place on the sidelines under the framework of the APEC Senior Finance Officials Meeting (SFOM), which will take place on May 18-19 in Ninh Bình. – VNS |
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Experts warn about speculators promoting housing bubble in HCM City Several experts have warned about a possible real estate bubble burst after claims that investors are deliberately holding onto land plots to boost prices in HCM City.  Le Tien Vu, deputy director of Cat Tuong Group, said the prices were unsustainable and would make it impossible for many to afford to buy a home. "There are also people who were hasty and decided to spend money on products that are not really suitable to their needs. They rarely build anything on the land they bought so the residential areas there often slow to be formed and lack necessary utilities," he said. Infrastructure is still weak and lax management has led to slums and bad urban planning. According to the HCM City Real Estate Association, the number of secondary investors is increasing. The fake real estate hype is also pushing up the land prices in many districts including Thu Duc, Binh Tan and Cu Chi. Le Hoang Chau, head of the association, warned about the threats and negative effects from the hype to the market. "Measures must be taken to calm the market and prevent a real estate bubble burst to protect customers," he said. Buyers are advised to be careful and research about the projects and whether it meets their needs. Le Tien Vu said authorities should create favourable conditions to support investors to complete housing projects quickly, balancing the supply and demand cycle. The HCM City Real Estate Association said the city authorities must clarify that there was no plan to upgrade or expand several districts and urban areas such as Binh Chanh or Hoc Mon districts to undermine speculation. Meanwhile, approved real estate projects must be quickly carried out and the information must be publicised. They also urged the authorities to issue a new decision about minimum land plot sizes. Deputy Director of the State Bank of Vietnam, HCMC branch, Nguyen Hoang Minh, said right after the hype started in early 2017, the State Bank of Vietnam had asked banks to closely monitor the market, tighten management and limit loans. dtinews |
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Economists, gov't differ on whether GDP growth rate is attainable The government still insists on a 6.7 percent GDP growth rate target this year, though economists warn it will be out of reach.  The low GDP growth rate of 5.1 percent in the first quarter of the year, the lowest in three years, has raised doubts about the target. The country's most respected economists, including Nguyen Duc Thanh, Vo Tri Thanh and Dinh Tuan Minh, all agree that the 6.7 percent economic growth rate will not be attainable. Nguyen Duc Thanh, head of the Vietnam Institute for Economic & Policy Research (VEPR), predicted that Vietnam would obtain the GDP growth rate of 6.1 percent this year, or six percentage points lower than the targeted growth rate set by the National Assembly. At the VEPR economic report ceremony on April 10, Thanh said the growth rate in the second quarter would be better than the first quarter, at 5.7 percent, while 6.5 percent and 6.6 percent growth rates would be seen in the third and fourth quarters, respectively.
MarketIntello, a market survey firm, has lowered the growth rates of the upcoming quarters. Its latest report says Vietnam would obtain the 5.35 percent in the second quarter, 5,8 percent in the third quarter and 6.1 percent for the entire year. Experts also said that it would be difficult for Vietnam to reach the CPI target of 4% in 2017 set by the National Assembly when the country still faces many macro-economic challenges. However, amid cautious predictions made by economists, the government still believes that the 6.7 percent GDP growth rate plans is feasible and is a must. The high economic growth rate is the key for the economy to reach sustainable development. Minister Mai Tien Dung, chair of the Government Office, at the regular government press conference on May 4, spoke for 10 minutes about the targets for the next three quarters and the solutions to turn them into reality. The concise and convincing speech has calmed the public. “The achievement of the goal will play an important role in helping the economy obtain macroeconomic balance, including securing the state budget, public debt, investment, and import/exports and ensuring people’s jobs and lives,” Dung said. The government has set new goals for the three upcoming quarters: 6.26 percent growth rate in Q2, 7.29 percent in Q3 and 7.49 percent in Q4, or average growth rate of 7.1 percent in three quarters. Chi Mai, VNN |
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Proposal to make alcohol firms pay health tax It has been proposed that companies which produce and import alcohol and beer products should pay VND360 billion (USD16.36 million) annually for health services. This is among contents mentioned in a draft law on alcohol that the Ministry of Health is finalising for submission to the National Assembly.  Vietnam now ranks second in Southeast Asia, 10th in Asia and 29th in the world in terms of the alcohol consumption Under the draft law, the Ministry of Health considers the establishment of the public health improvement fund. The fund would be based on compulsory financial contributions from alcohol and tobacco importers and producers as well as voluntary donations from individuals and organisations inside and outside the country. According to the Ministry of Health, the fund would partially help to save the state budget in public health care activities and is also expected to reduce the alcohol and tobacco consumption as well as to raise the public awareness about the harm caused by alcohol and tobacco. The ministry added that to date more than 20 countries, including Austria, Australia, Mongolia, South Korea, Switzerland and Thailand, have set up this fund. Vietnam now ranks second in Southeast Asia, 10th in Asia and 29th in the world in terms of the alcohol consumption. More than 77% of adult males and 11% of women said they had drunk alcohol in the past 30 days. Nearly half of men had engaged in heavy episodic drinking. Tienphong |
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Ho Chi Minh City eyes construction of helipads on high-rises Ho Chi Minh City announces intentions to build more helipads on top of the city’s high-rises to improve firefighting and emergency response capabilities.
 People climbs onto a hovering helicopter during a fire drill in Ho Chi Minh City.Tuoi Tre Buildings with at least 20 floors will be thoroughly examined to see if they are suited to accommodate a helipad, according to the city’s administration. The southern metropolis currently has around ten functional helipads atop its buildings, according to survey results from the municipal Fire Police. Assoc. Prof. Dr. Nguyen Thien Tong, an expert in aviation engineering, asserted that equipping the city’s emergency teams with helicopters should be encouraged. Victims caught in fires are often trapped on the building’s highest floor without a means of escape, Tong said, making helicopters an optimal rescue option. For larger buildings, adding a helipad is not a challenge and offers is a relatively cheap solution to fire-safety fears, assuming the terrace is spacious and capable of withstanding the weight of a helicopter, he said. Tong also noted, however, that rescue helicopters don’t always have to land to pick up passengers, so the construction of such helipads should be encouraged rather than compelled. Assoc. Prof. Dr. Nguyen Van Hiep, former dean of the Civil Engineering Faculty at Ho Chi Minh City University of Technology, suggested that helipads only be built on newer buildings. Meanwhile, architect Ngo Viet Nam Son rejected the idea of requiring helipads on all buildings with more than 20 floors, as a helicopter’s firefighting capabilities are limited by their ability to only pick up ten people in each landing. While hundreds of buildings in the city satisfy the height requirement, not all are designed to withstand helicopters, according to Brigadier Le Tan Buu, chief of the municipal Fire Police. Tran Trong Tuan, director of Ho Chi Minh City Department of Construction, said helipads could also serve to boost tourist activities by allowing commercial helicopters to land across the city. In addition, he said, some certain public buildings, such as hospitals, should be required to have helipads for emergency purposes, despite being less than 20 storeys. Brigadier Buu suggested that the city draft a plan to gradually increase the number of helipads in the city, while working closely with military units in rescue missions. According to a circular by the Ministry of Public Security effective since 2016, each special-status metropolis in Vietnam is to be equipped with a maximum of two helicopters for firefighting and rescue missions. However, as of today, both Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi have yet to add a rescue helicopter to their fleets.  Red tape In principal, the construction of any type of landing space for aircrafts, even helipads, must be approved by the Ministry of Defense with consultation from the Ministry of Construction, the Ministry of Transportation and the provincial administration, according to Vo Huy Cuong, deputy head of the Civil Aviation Authority of Vietnam. The detailed design of such a project is to be approved by the Chief of Staff of the People’s Army of Vietnam (PAV), Cuong said. After construction is finished, the developer must submit relevant documents to the General Staff of PAV for helicopters to be allowed to land and take off from the helipad. The Civil Aviation Authority and the Ministry of Defense are also required to provide consultation on such projects. TUOI TRE NEWS |
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Social News 19/5 Vietnam joins tea, coffee festival at UN headquarters  Vietnam and 14 other world leading tea and coffee exporters, including China, the Philippines and India took part in a tea and coffee festival at the United Nations headquarters in New York on May 18. The event was organised by the UN Correspondents Association (UNCA) and the association of wives of Arab diplomats in the UN. Products such as tea, coffee, candies and cookies were sold at 1 USD each. However, visitors did not pay in cash but in tokens sold by UNICEF at the entrance to the festival. All the proceeds will be used to support children in famine-ravaged Yemen. UNCA President Sherwin Bryce-Pease said the festival was an occasion for countries to advertise their tea and coffee products, and for diplomatic workers to learn more about one another’s cultures. An The Dung, Director of Vietnam’s Ministry of Industry and Trade’s trade promotion centre in New York, said it was a good chance for the country to popularise its beverage products in the US. About 158 million people drink tea in the US, but Vietnamese tea has only a 2-percent market share. Monument of Ho Chi Minh and his father inaugurated in Binh Dinh A monument of late President Ho Chi Minh, known as Nguyen Tat Thanh in his early years, and his father Nguyen Sinh Sac, was inaugurated at the central square of Quy Nhon city, central coastal Binh Dinh province on May 18. The inauguration took place to celebrate the 127th birthday of the late president (May 19, 1890) with Vice President Dang Thi Ngoc Thinh and head of the Party Central Committee’s Commission for Internal Affairs Phan Dinh Trac in attendance. The 15.5-metre-high bronze monument was created by sculptor Vu Dai Binh. Binh said it is Vietnam’s only monument portraying Nguyen Tat Thanh with his father. The pair stand side by side, looking to the East Sea. According to historians, Nguyen Tat Thanh followed his father, a Confucian scholar and teacher, to Binh Khe, a small district of Binh Dinh, to work as an imperial magistrate. Sac was later demoted, an event that greatly influenced Thanh’s thinking. At the age of 20, he was aware of the country’s political deadlock which led to his decision to travel to the West to win his nation’s freedom. Binh Khe is also the last place Thanh and his father were together, after which the young man embarked on a long-journey and never saw his father again. When Ho Chi Minh returned to Vietnam in 1941, 30 years after he left the country, his father had died. Secretary of the provincial Party’s Committee Nguyen Thanh Tung said the monument was built to mark the late President’s young days when his revolutionary outlook emerged. HCM City confiscates 70 tonnes of smuggled sugar The HCM City Market Management Department on Tuesday discovered 70 tonnes of smuggled sugar in Bình Tân District. The 2A team of the agency checked the Thành Phát Business Establishment’s warehouse in Bình Tân District’s Tân Tạo A Ward. The inspectors found about 70 tonnes of smuggled sugar with Thailand and Cambodia brand names in the warehouse. The inspectors also checked two trucks parked outside the warehouse and detected hundreds of sugar bags hidden by waste. Nguyễn Thị Ngọc Xiêm, 30, from the Cửu Long (Mekong) Delta province of Tiền Giang, was the owner of the smuggled sugar. The sugar was smuggled from Cambodia to the Cửu Long (Mekong) Delta province of An Giang and then brought into HCM City for sale, according to market managers. An Bình islet to boost solar power The Central Rural Power Project Management Board--in co-operation with the HCM City-based SolarBK company--will start construction of a solar power system on An Bình Islet of Lý Sơn Island next month. Đoàn Yên, director of Lý Sơn Power sub-department, told Việt Nam News on May 15 that the solar system, with a capacity of the 96 kWp (kilowatt peak for a solar module), will supply power 24 hours a day for 400 islanders living in An Bình Islet. Yên said the renewable energy will provide enough power for islanders’ consumption from the third quarter of this year. He said each household will have access to ‘clean and green’ power for lamps, TV sets or battery chargers within 24 hours. Yên said the renewable energy will fill the area’s power void; for years, residents have only been able to use power 12 hours a day from two diesel-driven generators. The solar power system, which will be built with an investment of VNĐ10 billion (US$442,000), will generate around 166kWh of electricity and reduce 93 tonnes of carbon emissions each year. The 1sq.km Islet, three miles off the main Lý Sơn Island, is home to 400 fishermen and farmers of garlic and onions. As scheduled, the solar power system will be completed this September before operation in October. According to SolarBK, the company plans to build up a solar power system for operation of the 2012-built seawater desalination station in the islet. The company also helps to build a monitoring system, SSOC (Solar System Operation Centre), that aims to monitor a combined solar power and diesel power network for better use on the An Binh Islet. SolarBK has built a lighting project for Trường Sa (Spratly) Islands and seawater desalination stations in Song Tử Island, island communes of Sơn Chà in Thừa Thiên-Huế Province, Mê Island in Thanh Hóa Province and Trần Island of Quảng Ninh Province. An Binh Islet, which used fresh water from a 2012-built desalination station with funding from the South Korean heavy industry group Doosan Vina, has limited operation due to a continued, years-long lack of power. Tired of dust and noise, locals block road Several residents of Điện Nam Trung street bloc in Quảng Nam Province on Wednesday blocked Provincial Road 607 to protest the constant movement of heavy, noisy construction trucks. Residents of the south central province’s Điện Bàn Commune laid concrete drain pipes and other materials on the road to block traffic, in what they claimed was a “last-resort measure,” after repeated complaints to authorities led to no action. Locals complain that trucks carrying construction materials such as sand drive through the road several times a day, spreading dust on the road and in the nearby areas, and causing a huge amount of noise. Also, because of the constant passage of heavy trucks, the road has started getting damaged and has developed potholes. The police had to persuade protesters to clear the obstructions so that traffic could resume. On the same day, Phan Minh Dũng, vice-chairman of Điện Bàn Commune, told online newspaper Zing that commune authorities “are aware of people’s complaints,” and would hold a meeting soon with affected residents to discuss measures to address the dust and noise pollution. Futsal event for disadvantaged kids to start The 18th Futsal Tournament for Disadvantaged Children is scheduled to kick off on May 27 in Bình Định Province, the event’s organising board announced yesterday. The tournament will see the participation of eight teams divided in two groups. The winning team will receive a cup and VNĐ30 million (US$1,300). The runners-up will get VNĐ25 million ($1090) and VNĐ20 million ($870). In addition, the organising board will also give awards to the best player, best goal keeper and coach. The event will end on June 1. Symposium on building smart cities in Vietnam Establishing smart cities will make urban areas better places to live and work due to their economic, social and environmental aspects, Minister of Information and Communication Nguyen Minh Hong said at a symposium in Hanoi on May 18. As Vietnam faces many obstacles to developing smart cities, the ministry will work with agencies to build mechanisms, policies and instructions in the field, he said. Trends and global experience in building smart cities were outlined to participants. They proposed building a set of criteria to evaluate the efficiency of the project while encouraging using information-technology and database sharing. Vietnam should design regulations on infrastructure development in association with smart urban management, the participants said. They urged the Ministry of Information and Communication to coordinate with ministries, departments and businesses to helps cities and provinces build smart cities. In Vietnam, urban areas make up 10 percent of the country’s land but contribute more than 70 percent to gross domestic product (GDP). Five centrally-run cities account for 50 percent of GDP. Nearly 20 cities and provinces have launched projects to build smart cities, while information, technology and communication businesses have signed deals with localities in this sphere. Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc’s Decision No.1819/QD-TTg approved as part of the national programme to apply information-technology in State companies aims to build at least three smart cities. Meanwhile, Government Resolution No.5/NQ-TW outlines policies to push ahead with growth model reform and improve growth quality, labour productivity, and competitiveness of the economy as well as some priorities in developing smart cities. The PM has directed the Ministry of Information and Communication to work with the Ministry of Construction to issue criteria to evaluate and recognise smart cities, whilst guiding localities to ensure effective investment to avoid waste and economic losses. PM urges Thanh Hoa to draw investment With its ample advantages, the north central coastal province of Thanh Hoa should work to become a model in attracting investment. Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc made the statement at an investment promotion conference in Sam Son city on May 18. He said that the Government will provide opportunities for Thanh Hoa to become an exemplary locality to achieve its investment targets. The PM described Thanh Hoa as a miniature Vietnam, with a dynamic economy full of potential. He urged the locality to improve the investment environment to ensure equality for businesses, and provide land in an effective manner. He agreed with local plans to develop oil refining, aquatic processing, and tourism. The PM suggested studying developing hi-tech agriculture and focusing on products with high economic value. He encouraged businesses to invest in agriculture, services and infrastructure while diversifying services and taking advantage of heritage sites such as Ho Citadel, Lam Kinh historical relic site, community-based and craft village tourism. To increase enterprises’ competitiveness and to build a strong business community, the province should train skilled workers and help businesses make long-term investments and join the global value chain, he said. He also noted that the province could not do business without protecting the environment. Various Government projects are planned for the province, including the Hanoi-Thanh Hoa-Nghe An expressway and a coastal route to prevent natural disaster. At the conference, Thanh Hoa granted investment licenses to 32 projects with a total estimated investment of 135.3 trillion VND (equivalent to 6.1 billion USD), mainly in processing and manufacturing. Earlier, the PM had a meeting with local authorities, during which he stressed that Thanh Hoa is one of Vietnam’s key investment destinations. The province has eight industrial parks, attracted big companies and deployed policies to lure social investment, he said. He hailed local efforts to build synchronous infrastructure for investment projects, offer competitive land lease prices and labour costs, and promptly address difficulties for businesses. Thanh Hoa covers more than 11,000 square meters and has a population of 3.6 million people, ranking fifth nationwide in natural area and third in population. The per capita average income was 1,620 USD at the end of 2016, the highest level in the north central region. It is expected to reach 1,750 USD in 2017. The province is striving to record economic growth of 12 percent this year.- Hanoi customs agency discuss ways to prevent drug trafficking The Hanoi Customs Department held a conference on boosting drug detection and prevention at border gates and customs clearance points in the capital city on May 18. Besides customs officers, the event drew the participation of representatives from the Police Department on Anti-Smuggling (C47) and the Institute for Crime Science (C54) under the Ministry of Public Security. Necessary skills to early detect drug trafficking via road, air transport or fast delivery and to differentiate drug types were among topics tabled. Participants especially emphasized how to recognize suspicious activities at international airports, particularly among passengers of flights departing from drug hotspots. Nguyen Truong Giang, vice director of the Hanoi Customs, said the agency has worked to simplify clearance procedures and apply risk management techniques. He noted that with the launch of the Vietnam Automated Cargo and Port Consolidated System and Vietnam Customs Information System (VNACCS/VCIS), customs personnel cannot check every single passenger, vehicle and goods as before, adding that traffickers have used more tricks to take advantage of the condition. C47 representatives brought to the seminar methods to recognise and capture traffickers. The Hanoi Customs Department busted about 10 drug trafficking cases in 2016, including the illegal transportation of 2.2 tonnes of dried “Khat” leaves into Vietnam via international postal services and air route. “Khat” leaves, a new type of drugs making it way to Vietnam, contain Cathinone, an amphetamine-like stimulant, which is said to cause strong euphoria and is 500-fold more dangerous than normal drugs. Science, technology information access place opens to public The National Agency for Science and Technology Information on May 17 opened a place providing free access to science and technology information at No.24, Ly Thuong Kiet street, in Hanoi’s Hoan Kiem district. The establishment of the information access place aimed to encourage not only scientists and students but also all members of the public to search for and acquire science and technology information of the country and the world. The information sources include about 7,700 domestic and foreign magazines, 380,000 books and 17,000 monographs, as well as 23,000 research projects at the national, ministerial and provincial levels. People can also access 220,000 Vietnamese scientific reports and 40 million international documents over the world. Measures mitigating climate change impacts on children sought Measures to mitigate impacts of natural disasters and climate change on children were discussed at a conference jointly held by the Central Steering Committee for Disaster Prevention and Control and the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) in Hanoi on May 18. Participants also shared knowledge and experience in children-oriented disaster risk mitigation, while seeking ways to intensify cooperation in this field. Based on the outcomes of a national conference on children-oriented disaster risk mitigation held in the central province of Ninh Thuan in December 2016, this conference continued promoting cooperation within the framework of the Law on Disaster Prevention and Control, Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Mitigation and sustainable development goals. Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Nguyen Xuan Cuong, head of the central steering committee, said that Vietnam annually suffers a variety of natural disasters which cause huge asset and human losses. In 2016, disasters left 264 people dead or missing, and 431 others injured, causing an economic loss of 39.7 trillion VND (1.74 billion USD). UNICEF Chief Representative Youssouf Abdel-Jelil said that climate change impacts are unavoidable, but the Sendai framework gives priority to investing in reducing the impacts on children at their early ages as this is an important period for their development. Decreasing vulnerability of children is a long-term strategy to improve the community’s resilience, he said, calling on the Vietnamese Government and its development partners to maintain investment in children-oriented disaster risk mitigation. Since August 2016, the UNICEF and the Vietnamese Government have provided emergency aid for children and women hit by drought and saline intrusion in 10 provinces of the Central Highlands, the coastal south central region and the Mekong Delta sourcing from the Japanese government and the CERF. Nearly 140,000 Vietnamese people have benefited from the effort. Vietnam has 325 new rural communes  An additional 325 communes were recognised as new style rural areas in January - April, 2017, a rise of 3.6 percent compared to end of 2016, announced the Ministry of Agricultural and Rural Development (MARD). The country has a total of 2,656 new style rural communes, 29.7 percent of the total. The MARD devised a plan to develop 15,000 efficient agricultural cooperatives by 2020 and worked with localities to implement the cooperative renovation campaign. In mid-April, the ministry issued criteria and classification of agricultural cooperatives. It has been working on policies to link agricultural production with consumption. The national programme on building new-style rural areas, initiated by the Government in 2010, includes 19 criteria on socio-economic development, politics and defence, aiming to improve rural areas. The criteria cover infrastructure development, production capacity improvement, environmental protection and cultural value promotion. Argentine media spotlights late President Ho Chi Minh The media in Argentina has published work praising late President Ho Chi Minh’s contribution to national liberation on the occasion of the 127th anniversary of his birthday (May 19, 1890). The article "Ho Chi Minh: One of the greatest leaders of the anti-imperialism struggle" on the Latin American Summary magazine (Resumen Latinoamericano) highlighted his revolutionary activities when he traveled to the West in search of national liberation under the name Nguyen Ai Quoc. It described the late President as a symbol of the cultural values and wisdom of the nation, while he was also an example of simplicity, love and faith in humans. Meanwhile, another article on Argenpress.info said that, unlike many other Vietnamese patriots of his time who focused on the East, Uncle Ho headed West and did all kinds of work, for example, a cook assistant, waiter and journalist, to pursue the revolutionary path. In the last moments of World War II in 1945, he took advantage of a unique historical conjuncture, leading Vietnamese people on a triumphant general insurrection. He then proclaimed the independence of Vietnam before the world on September 2, 1945, wrote the article. Ho Chi Minh led Vietnamese people to put an end to the domination of France and opened a new era for Vietnam, the era of a new, independent and free Vietnam. The page acercandonaciones.com of Argentina dedicated a large space for a portrayal of late President Ho Chi Minh with Vietnam’s national flag in the background alongside the article "Ho Chi Minh, a man of Peace." According to author Jorge Tuero, Uncle Ho sacrificed his life to the struggle for national liberation and his death was a deep pain for Vietnamese hearts. Tuero hailed Ho Chi Minh as a great leader and politician and a hero of Vietnam. To generations of Vietnamese, President Ho Chi Minh will forever be remembered as the founder of modern Vietnam and the father of the nation, called by Vietnamese from all ages Uncle Ho or Uncle, he said. Can Tho to launch model of controlling non-infectious diseases A model to control non-communicable diseases (NCDs) will be launched in Can Tho with support from the World Health Organisation (WHO). The information was heard at a working session between the People’s Committee of the southern city of Can Tho and representatives of the WHO on May 18 in the locality. The project aims to enhance NCDs detection and management capacity of local healthcare facilities by providing new equipment and training courses, said Lokky Wai, a representative of the WHO in Vietnam, adding that it is expected to reduce pressure on higher-level facilities. After training, local facilities are hoped to able to assess, consult and track NCD cases such as obesity, diabetes and high-blood pressure, he noted. The model will initially be carried out in Long Tuyen and Thoi An Dong wards of in Binh Thuy district and Co Do district’s Thoi Xuan and Trung An communes, before expansion to other six units by 2018. Non-infectious diseases claim the lives of about 400,000 Vietnamese people each year, according to Deputy Health Minister Nguyen Thanh Long at a recent conference seeking to prevent and control the diseases. The number of suffers are rising at an alarming level, he stated, revealing that 70 percent of deaths each year are caused by non-communicable diseases, of whom 40 percent are under 70 years old. He attributed the fact to the unhealthy lifestyle of many Vietnamese, adding that there are currently 49 percent of males smoking cigarettes, and 77 percent of the population consuming alcohol. The Health Ministry has set a target of decreasing the rate of deaths caused by non-infectious diseases to 20 percent by 2025. It also aimed to reduce 30 percent of smokers, 10 percent of alcohol users, while cutting down the amount of salt used by 30 percent, controlling the rate of obesity under 15 percent and the rate of high blood pressure patients under 30 percent.- Cambodian cyclist wins 9th Countryside stage Yoeun Phi Yuth of Cambodia won the penultimate stage of the Return to the Countryside cycling tournament yesterday. Yuth took the lead in the 117km race from Rạch Giá to Châu Đốc City with a time of 3:04.06. Nguyễn Minh Luận of Premium Cycling Vĩnh Long and Trần Nguyễn Duy Nhân of the Military Zone 7 finished second and third. Yuth retained his green jersey as the best sprinter with 123 points. The yellow jersey belongs to Quàng Văn Cường of Gạo Hạt Ngọc Trời-An Giang, with the best overall time of 22:28.55 after nine stages. Cambodian Yuth came in second and Luận finished third. In the amateur event, Nguyễn Hoàng Sang of Lê Đoàn Kiên Giang won the stage and took the green jersey award with 106 points. Bùi Văn Sành of Hiệp Nhất-Tịnh Biên held the yellow jersey with a time of 22:30.53. Sang’s teammate, Huỳnh Văn Thuận and Đặng Văn Bảo Anh of Vĩnh Long were the runners-up. This morning, cyclists will compete in the 10th and final stage from Châu Giang ferry in Tân Phú District to Thuận Giang ferry in Phú Tân District, An Giang Province, lasting 56km. In the afternoon, they will cycle 25 laps around Long Xuyên City to gain local awards. VN tie with Indonesia in Asia futsal event Việt Nam tied 1-1 with Indonesia in the second match of Group B of the 2017 Asian Football Confederation (AFC) U-20 Futsal Championship Bangkok, Thailand, yesterday. The two sides played conservatively in the first half, and the block was broken in the 36th minute when Dương Ngọc Linh opened the score for Việt Nam. After taking the lead, Việt Nam played defensively. However, Indonesia leveled the score in the last minutes, thanks to Samuel Eko. Indonesia temporarily grabs the lead in the group with seven points after three matches. Vietnam rank second with four points after two matches. With this result, Việt Nam must to try their best in remaining matches to raise their hope to reach to the event’s quarter-finals. Today, Việt Nam will face Chinese Taipei. More Chinese visitors welcomed in Vietnam The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism has called on provincial authorities to take efforts to sustain the strong growth in the number of Chinese tourists. In a letter this week the ministry said the industry, especially service providers catering to Chinese visitors, must improve their capacity at popular destinations and during the high season. It noted that many destinations and countries in the region and around the world are adopting policies to attract Chinese travellers. Some 1.27 million Chinese came to Vietnam in the first four months this year, a 60 per cent jump from the same period last year. Last year 2.7 million Chinese tourists arrived, up 51 percent from 2015. The average annual growth between 2010 and 2016 had been 20 per cent. Hạ Long Bay and the central cities of Đà Nẵng and Nha Trang are among the places most visited by Chinese tourists. Tourists to Ha Long Bay will have to pay double for cruise terminal The only tourist wharf in Ha Long Bay has announced to double the entrance fee for visitors to the famous destination to around US$2 starting May 28. Tuan Chau Corporation, which manages Tuan Chau Wharf, said tourists who want to take a cruise trip on Ha Long and the nearby Bai Tu Long Bay will have to pay VND40,000 (US$1.76) for a ticket. This entrance fee does not cover the expenses for their trip afterward but tourists will be offered free water and Wi-Fi at the terminal. The current fee is VND20,000, which was only introduced last November, several months after the wharf opened and replaced the degrading Bai Chay. The terminal can handle about 2,000 boats, 10 times more than the old one, and it can receive large vessels. Ha Long Bay, a UNESCO heritage, and Bai Tu Long to the northeast, are popular destinations in northern Vietnam and the main attractions in Quang Ninh Province, which drew 8.3 million tourists last year, 42% of them foreigners. Last month, the bay managers bundled many attractions together, forcing tourists to pay more for a full package. Many visitors were upset and some just canceled their trip as they just wanted to visit a couple of places. HCM City honors 350 outstanding children A ceremony honoring 350 outstanding children with the "Uncle Ho's Good Nephews and Nieces" title was held in Ho Chi Minh City yesterday by the City's Ho Chi Minh Communist Youth Union. The event aims to recognize children’s outstanding performance in studying, taking extracurricular activities at school, and honored young artists and talents. Attending in the event were Standing Deputy Secretary of the Ho Chi Minh city Party Committee Tat Thanh Cang; Nguyen Thi Quyet Tam, Deputy Secretary of the city Party Committee and Chairwoman of the City People’s Council; Ho Chi Minh Communist Youth Union Central Committee Secretary Nguyen Long Hai. On the same day, the HCMC University of Technology (BKU) was presented the first prize at the award ceremony of the 9th Olympic contest on Marxism-Leninism philosophy and Ho Chi Minh Thought. The competition attracted more than 40,000 contestants from schools, universities and colleges throughout the city. The Olympiad aims to enhance the education of Marxist-Leninist philosophy and Ho Chi Minh Thought, contributing to raising political awareness and fostering revolutionary ideals for youth union members and students. Photo exhibition legendary Truong Son trail opens in Quang Nam An exhibition on the legendary Truong Son trail was launched at Quang Nam Museum in the central coastal province of Quang Nam on May 19. The event aims to mark the 127th birthday of the late President Ho Chi Minh (May 19); 55 years of the traditional day of the 559 Army Corps, one of the units that took part in the construction of the legendary Truong Son trail (also known as the Ho Chi Minh trail) during wartime and is part of the Quang Nam Heritage Festival 2017. The exhibition also displays a sculpture describing the beauty of the grandiose Truong Son mountain range and Uncle Ho in Dong Khe Battlefield in the Autumn-Winter Border Campaign, 1950. The art work called “The legendary Truong Son” by artist Dinh Gia Thang of the Vietnamese Fine Arts Association is 5.59m high, 18m wide and 6.5m thick also honoring the special relationship between Laos and Vietnam. The event co-organized by the Quang Nam Museum, Ho Chi Minh Trail Museum under the Ministry of National Defense runs until May 24. HCMC kickstarts school milk program From the school year 2017-2018 onwards, school children from one year old to the second grade in HCMC will be given at least 180ml of pasteurized milk a day. The city government has issued a three-phase program intended to improve the stature of preschool and elementary school children in the city from 2017 to 2020. Preschools in the city’s 24 districts will implement the project in the first phase from 2017 to 2018. First and second graders will be respectively included in the program in the second and third phases in the next two school years which last nine months each. The city government will finance 30% of the program cost while 50% will come from parents and society and the remaining of 20% from dairy producers. The city government will invite competitive tenders to supply milk for the program. Local dairy processing enterprises having facilities in HCMC and contributing to the city’s budget revenues will be prioritized. They have helped develop dairy farms in the city, purchase cow milk from local farmers and offer a price of about VND6,875 (US$0.3) a box. Go May overpass opened to traffic Go May overpass on a National Highway 1A section in Binh Tan District, HCMC was opened to traffic on May 17, three months ahead of schedule. Developed by domestic infrastructure development firm IDICO at a total cost of VND511 billion, the overpass is 538 meters long and 24 meters wide. Faced with limited space and heavy traffic around the construction site, the company had to quicken work on the project. Therefore, a branch of the overpass was put into use in January to cut traffic congestion there. The project was originally expected to be up and running in August, meaning the construction duration was shortened by three months. Go May Intersection is where National Highway 1A and Nguyen Thi Tu and Le Trong Tan streets meet. The area has two large industrial parks, Tan Binh and Vinh Loc, so traffic is heavy there. Go May Intersection is part of a build-operate-transfer project to upgrade a 14-kilometer section of National Highway 1A from An Suong Intersection in District 12 to An Lac Roundabout in Binh Tan District. The three-phase project is scheduled for completion by 2033. The section is an artery road connecting HCMC and southeastern and southwestern provinces, as well as central and northern regions. That is why many road users travel in the area, leading to traffic congestion at intersections there. VNA/VNS/VOV/SGT/SGGP/TT/TN/Dantri/VNE |
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Transnationals dominate Vietnam personal care market Large transnational companies have rapidly taken control of the manufacturing and retail beauty and personal care segments of the Vietnam economy, say leading market analysts.  At a recent conference in Ho Chi Minh City, the analysts said the reason is in large part due to lack of investment by domestic sector companies in research and development as well as the latest technologies among other things. Deputy chair of the Vietnam Essential Oils, Aromatherapy and Cosmetics Association, Nguyen Van Minh said the domestic sector has only a 10% market share though they could easily compete with transnationals in terms of quality but for the lack of equity or debt capital. Mr Minh said there are only 14 domestic sector manufactures operating in the country. He noted that Korean transnationals hold a 30% market share followed by those from the EU (23%), Japan (17%) and Thailand (13%). The US and other countries account for the remaining 7%, he added, but the market is dynamic and market shares can change quickly. According to the latest estimates by market research company Mintel, the personal care retail market in Vietnam is thought to be worth US$1.78 billion, a figure that should grow to US$2.35 billion in the near term. Although the market is not large by international standards, its rapid expansion is creating opportunities in most personal care categories including body care, colour cosmetics, facial care, soap, fragrances, bath, hair care and sun care. The growing demand for organic personal care items such as those for natural hair care, skin care and cosmetic products is expected to ignite growth in the personal care market over the short term. Increasing consumer disposable incomes coupled with changing lifestyles has contributed to the rising demand for chemical-free skin and hair care products by Vietnamese consumers, other analysts at the conference noted. Consumers are aware of the ability of natural ingredients to provide anti-oxidation properties and improve skin immunity and now with more money in their pockets—that is a major factor fuelling market growth. Consumers are moving away from petroleum based products in favour of natural products, said Huynh Ky Tran, director of Lan Hao-Thorakao Cosmetic Company, noting that this gives domestic companies an advantage over foreign competitors. Vietnam agriculture produces many plants that are perfect for the manufacturing segment such as aloe, citronella, saffron, grapefruit and soapberry that his company uses to make their personal care products. Transnationals have much higher manufacturing and transportation costs than we have in Vietnam, said Mr Tran. The fact that we can buy natural products locally at favourable prices and our manufacturing costs are not as high gives us a competitive advantage in the local market. Where the 14 companies comprising the domestic sector come up short is in terms of equity or debt capital for investing in research and development as well as modernized machinery and equipment incorporating the latest technological advances. The domestic sector companies also skimp on marketing expenses and as a result lose out on sales. Consequently, most of the domestic sector manufacturers produce facial and hand cleansers that are targeted at low income consumers who base their purchasing decisions almost entirely on cost. A sizeable proportion of domestic manufacturers products, probably around 60%, said Mr Tran, are also exported to poor African countries and low income markets in Laos and Cambodia. VOV |
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Tentative banks slow hi-tech agricultural credit package There is a VND130-140 trillion ($5.72-$6.16 billion) credit package for hi-tech agricultural projects, however, few firms have been able to access it due to cautious banks.  The guidance on the VND100 trillion ($4.4 billion) credit package for hi-tech agricultural projects was issued by the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD) and the State Bank of Vietnam (SBV). With the participation of nearly a dozen banks, the credit package’s value has increased to VND130-140 trillion ($5.72-$6.16 billion). However, according to a source of VIR, only a handful of firms can get disbursement from this credit package. Agribank is the leading lending, having provided loans for 18 firms and hi-tech agricultural projects. Many firms said that the banks’ lending procedures are strict, although MARD’s criteria are quite simple. Responding to firms’ complaints, many banks said that they wish to provide capital for hi-tech agricultural projects, but only a few applicants meet their criteria. Talking with VIR’s reporters, Nguyen Thi Phuong, deputy general director of Agribank, said that, “When agreeing to finance a firm’s project, banks become project investors. Thus, banks have a vested interest in ensuring that the firms themselves are efficient and the projects feasible and capable of recovering the investment capital in the future.” Similarly, Nguyen Duc Huong, senior advisor of LienVietPostBank, said that banks have surplus capital and are looking for good projects. If firms have feasible projects with a high likelihood capacity of recovering capital, then garnering investment capital is a simple problem. Feasibility is key What firms usually complain about the most when submitting application for loans is the collateral for their projects, because agricultural lands have low value, while the assets on these lands and factories are not considered collateral. Nevertheless, many banks insist that if the projects are feasible enough, they do not ask for collateral. “We do not require collateral, we just look at the projects’ feasibility and risks involved during all stages of investment, manufacturing, consumption, and the capacity to recover capital,” Phuong said. Previously, many hi-tech agriculture projects, such as the hi-tech egg processing plant of DTK Phu Tho Co., Ltd, and Ba Huan Co., Ltd, have borrowed hundreds of billion VND from banks without collateral. To approach these loans, firms have to be transparent and publicise all relevant information, as well as invite banks to participate in the project from the beginning, from the stage of planning, to supervising the projects’ construction, cash flows management, and selling the products. Nguyen Duy Hung, chairman of The PAN Group, said that if a project has capital but fails to determine the products and market, the possibility of failure is high. “The foundation for an investment decision in hi-tech agricultural projects is market demand, and only high-value agricultural products can apply hi-technology to the production, as the production cost for these products is much higher than usual,” Hung said. It is rumoured that many firms are racing to implement hi-tech agriculture projects with the aim of borrowing from the credit package, although the feasibility of recovering capital is not verified. The market for agricultural products is not stable, while hi-tech agricultural products usually have high selling price, thus, it is more difficult for firms to sell their products. Therefore, if banks decide to lend too easily, it may lead to huge consequences for firms and banks. VIR |
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Car market to see changes with new regulations The domestic market will open more widely to foreign cars as enterprises now will not be required to submit as many documents as they did before, as stipulated in Circular No 20/2011.  The Ministry of Industry and Trade (MOIT) has opened the draft decree on conditions for automobile trade, manufacturing, assembling, import and maintenance. The most important provision of the draft is the removal of the requirement on manufacturers’ authorization certificates as stipulated in Circular No 20/2011. The circular states that importers of unused cars with nine seats or less, besides performing current import procedures, must be designated or authorized by official carmakers or dealers as their distributors in Vietnam. The circular had been criticized by car dealers, who said it ‘distorted’ the Vietnamese car market.
Car imports will have to get car import codes from MOIT, and in order to do so, will only need to submit business registration certificates, or investment certificates and documents to prove that they have maintenance units that satisfy requirements. Bui Xuan Truong from Anycar Vietnam said since June 2011, when Circular 20 took effects, his company, like many other car dealers, have had to stop business. However, as the requirement on manufacturers’ authorization certificates is removed, Anycar is considering resuming the business. The representative of another car company said that since March 9, MOIT has not required the certificates on car maintenance units granted by the Ministry of Transport. “We will look for different supply sources so as to bring to diverse Vietnamese products to satisfy Vietnamese requirements at reasonable prices,” he said, adding that once authorized importers have to compete with other car dealers, they will have to cut car prices and improve services. An analyst commented that the removal of the requirement on manufacturers’ authorization certificates will stop market control by authorized importers. In general, one manufacturer authorizes one car import company. If the company does not have to compete with others, it will control car prices and consumers won’t have the opportunity to buy cars at low prices. Some government officials have warned that if the requirement is removed, foreign cars will arrive in Vietnam in large numbers, which will do harm to the domestic market. However, Nguyen Thi Hien from Toyota Vietnam, in charge of distributing used cars, does not think so. “If more enterprises are allowed to import cars for domestic sale, car prices will be more competitive, thus bringing more choices to customers,” Hien said. Since November 2016, car trading has been listed as a conditional business field. However, to date, management agencies still have not released any document about the conditions. Mai Chi, VNN |
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Vietnam female player tops Asia chess championships Vo Thi Kim Phung took the lead of the Asian Continental Chess Championships’ Women’s Category in China on May 19.  Vo Thi Kim Phung Phung beat Indian Ramesh Babu Vaishali in the eighth round to lead with seven points. She will meet Mary Ann Gomes of India in the next round. Guliskhan Nakhbayeva of Kazakhstan and Gomes are second and third with 6.5 points and 5.5 points, respectively. Two other Vietnamese masters Hoang Thi Bao Tram and Pham Le Thao Nguyen sit in fifth and sixth place. Tram tied with Lei Tingjie of China, while Nguyen drew with Gomes in the seventh round. They now both have 5.5 points. Tram will face Nakhbayeva of Kazakhstan, while Nguyen will play with Swati Ghate of India in the ninth round. In the Open Category, Vidit Santosh Gujrathi of India leads. He crushed Jinshi Bai of China in the eighth round, leaving him with six points. Gujrathi will next meet Yu Yangyi of China. Vietnamese representatives, Nguyen Ngoc Truong Son and Tran Tuan Minh are in 18th and 19th place. VNA |
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Ho Chi Minh City estate official ‘rescues’ buildings violating construction permits An estate official in Ho Chi Minh City has been receiving money to turn a blind eye to buildings in violation of their construction permits, Tuoi Tre (Youth) newspaper has discovered.
 Le Van Tan, an official at the Land Registration Office of District 7, looks through T.’s papers at his company, April 27, 2017.Tuoi Tre With the help of around VND100 million (US$4,400) and a good connection, a hotel built in violation of its permit can be ‘legitimized’ in Ho Chi Minh City. Last month, T., an estate developer in Ho Chi Minh City, had planned on taking over a small hotel on Nguyen Thi Thap Street in District 7. According to the building’s construction permit, the hotel is licensed to include one ground floor, one mezzanine, three floors and a partial roof. However, its previous owner had rebuilt the mezzanine and transformed it into a full floor, with the roof walled to add additional rooms. Unwilling to demolish the illegal parts of the building, T. got in touch with a ‘broker’ to help him legitimize its papers. Money talks T. met up with a so-called ‘broker’ going by the name of Nam, who advised him to ‘take a shortcut’ with a promise that “if you’re willing to pay, your papers will be done in no time, 100 percent guaranteed.” Nam introduced T. to Vu Thuy Duong, director of Thai Duong Land, a real estate and construction services company based in District 7. Scanning through T.’s papers, Duong reassured the man that he could handle the issue, as he had some strings he could pull at the Land Registration Office of District 7. “You can proceed with the purchase, then send me the files after they’ve been notarized, so I can have my minions sketch the building plan,” Duong instructed his client. “After that, I will escort you myself to the district authorities to submit the files. You can keep the original copy. Just send me photos of those files so I can forward to the official in charge.” Duong demanded VND150 million ($6,600) for the deal, 50 percent of which was to be paid once the files were submitted, and the rest once the mission was accomplished. After T.’s continued requests to meet the official in charge of processing his papers, Duong agreed to set up an appointment between him and Le Van Tan, an official of the Land Registration Office of Distrct 7. “It’s out of respect that he agrees to meet you,” Duong said. “Tan’s not in the same league as us. He is putting his career at risk even by sitting down with us. It cost him a fortune to get into that position, so the money he gets for legitimizing a house is not worth the risk.” At 11:00 am, Tan arrived at the designated location for the meeting and began looking through the papers handed to him by T. “I already told you that I can get this done,” Tan assured T. “Some serious violations may have to be pulled down, but I can pull some strings to have them left intact.” Duong said that Tan was the official directly in charge of approving T.’s papers, and that it is entirely in his decision whether the papers are ‘right’ or ‘wrong.’ ‘VND100 million would be reasonable’ On April 28, T. visited Tan in his office at the headquarters of District 7’s administration, but was told to wait for him at a nearby coffee store as “the bosses are around.” Despite his earlier confirmation that he could get the paperwork done, this time Tan said the house T. was about to buy had some serious violations. “I could skip a few violations if the house was in an alley, but this one’s right at the front,” Tan explained. “Your files will have to go to my boss for approval.” Tan admitted that he had worked with Duong many times to legitimize multiple house papers. “I only agree to do it when I know I can,” Tan said. “I can help you with the home’s violations in construction, but I can’t help you with the paperwork to purchase the house.” When T. complained about having to pay Duong VND150 million ($6,600) for the deal, Tan said the price was a bit too high. “You should bargain it down a bit, around VND100 million would be reasonable,” Tan suggested. Tan said he gets VND50 million ($2,200) for his part, but he did not pocket the whole sum for himself. “I clearly have to share it with my colleagues in charge of receiving and screening the files, and with those who can help speed up the process,” Tan explained. “And then there’s also my boss.” TUOI TRE NEWS |
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